Cauliflower Rice Bowls

The other day, a friend of mine at school mentioned that she used cauliflower rice in a recipe. I had heard of cauliflower rice before, but I really didn’t know anything about it, and I never cooked with it before. I like eating cooked cauliflower, so I was intrigued by the concept.

I had no clue how cauliflower was made into rice, so I did a bit of research on the internet. What I found was that it is simply grated cauliflower. Definitely easier than I thought…at the time. I read that using the medium-sized holes on a box grater works the best.

I knew I did not want to just eat a pile of cauliflower rice alongside meat and veggies, so I decided to mix all of the elements together and make cauliflower rice bowls!

I used some loose venison sausage (my husband’s recipe) as the protein in this dish. I browned one pound of the sausage in a frying pan.

I also roasted some broccoli in the oven. (I think roasting vegetables is my favorite way to prepare them.). You could just sauté the broccoli in a frying pan for a quicker meal. I drizzled the broccoli with olive oil, sprinkled salt and pepper on it, and then roasted the broccoli at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, shaking the pan every ten minutes.

While the broccoli was roasting, I began grating the cauliflower. I had about half of a large head left over from other meals, so I used the medium-sized holes of a box grater to rice the cauliflower. If you choose to grate your own cauliflower, be prepared for a mess! I had cauliflower flying everywhere! It could have just been me, because I am a messy cooker, but it may be that cauliflower flies all over when grated for everyone!

I began heating a little bit of olive oil in a large frying pan to cook the cauliflower. I just sprinkled some salt and pepper on the cauliflower. It only took between 5-10 minutes to soften the riced cauliflower.

Once all of the elements were done (the broccoli was roasted, the sausage was browned, and the cauliflower rice was cooked) I combined everything in the pan that the cauliflower was in.

Serving was easy. I just scooped some of the mixture into bowls for my husband and I!

I just ate my cauliflower bowl plain. But, there are many things you could mix in with the sausage and veggies. Salsa, shredded cheese, soy or Worcestershire sauce, or anything else you think may taste good in these bowls!

You can also be creative with the meats and other vegetables you add to your cauliflower rice bowls! Chicken or beef/venison cubes would be great choices. Sugar snap peas may be a good veggie addition as well.

Here is my take on cauliflower rice. It’s not rice. I cannot pretend that it is rice because it just isn’t. It’s like spaghetti squash. It isn’t spaghetti, and I can’t pretend that it is. I need to just accept that I am eating shredded cauliflower, and take it for what it really is. And even though it is not rice, it is still delicious!

When I eat foods I know are very healthy for me, I feel good about myself! My husband thought this meal was delicious, and I was happy with the nutritional value, as well as the taste. And it was rather simple, which is a cherry on top!

Do you use cauliflower rice? How do you like to eat it? What are some of your ideas to add to these cauliflower bowls? I would love to hear your ideas!